At Browne Jacobson, we’ve always worked across business and society, and this expertise sets us apart. Social and environmental impact are at the top of our business agenda. We champion fairness, make the complex simple and forge connections between clients to find creative solutions. This is how we improve outcomes for every person, community and business we serve.

With offices in Birmingham, Cardiff, Dublin, Exeter, London, Manchester and Nottingham, we’re a UK & I based law firm with an international reach. Our sectors include: health; real estate and construction; education; energy and infrastructure; financial services; government; insurance; manufacturing and industrials; and retail, consumer and logistics.

We nurture talent at all levels and from every background and celebrate what makes people individuals. Law needs all voices to reflect the society it serves which is why all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, social economic background or age.

We’re a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who best meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role.

We strive to create meaningful personal and professional development opportunities and offer flexible working in support of a good work-life balance. We focus on wellbeing and individuality, so that all our people can thrive.

Why is this role important and how does it fit into the team, department and wider firm?

The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in equipping our lawyers with the expertise needed to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of AI. This unique opportunity reflects our commitment to staying at the forefront of legal innovation.

In an age marked by significant change and challenge, AI is poised to profoundly impact the world. Our goal is to help our people, and our current and future clients, not only adapt to these changes but also thrive in an AI-driven environment.

Working across all of our sectors, the AI Lawyer will enhance our firm’s capabilities, drive innovation, and ensure we maintain our leadership position in the legal aspects of AI and technology. This role is integral to our strategy of embracing technological advancements and delivering exceptional value to our clients, and provides an exciting opportunity for the successful candidate to work with all areas of our business to shape our approach to AI in this quickly developing area.

What does the role actually involve?

The role is a non-fee earning role sitting within our growing Knowledge Management Department and reporting into our Knowledge Director. Given the wide-reaching impact of AI, the successful candidate will work across all aspects of our business, collaborating with colleagues across our central and legal teams and also providing outward facing content to our clients across all of our sectors.

More specifically, the role will involve:

• Proactively monitoring and analysing global regulatory and legal developments in AI so as to:
• Inform and update our national and international clients across all of our sectors; and
• Inform and update our people (both fee earners and our central teams).
• Facilitating the sharing of AI-related knowledge within and across our sectors for the benefit of our clients and our communities.
• Facilitating through roundtables, targeted events and structured webinars or other forums the sharing of best practice and client experience of developing and deploying AI to promote mutual learning.
• Conducting in-depth legal research on AI-related topics and emerging issues to inform commercial insights, legal team briefings and other publications/sessions; co-authoring thought leadership articles and providing web content in own name or offering fresh eye review to colleagues’ drafts.
• Commissioning training sessions on AI and its legal implications to our people.
• Drafting and maintaining practice notes, precedents, and guidance documents related to AI.
• Collaborating with individuals (at all levels) and departments across the firm to integrate AI into our practice areas effectively.
• Identifying opportunities for the development of AI in our firm and the data and information that may be needed for it
• Assisting in the development, piloting and/or acquisition of AI-driven tools and solutions to enhance our legal services.
• Monitoring our relevant client work and ensuring that our pitch content is current and complete in respect of all AI aspects.
• Leading by example through the use of AI to encourage our people to adopt and make use of innovative solutions. Identifying underutilisation of AI within teams and addressing this through raising awareness/training.
• Embedding the firms’ values within AI solutions and communicating the human impact of AI.
• Liaising and collaborating with the wider Knowledge Management team on AI-related developments and insights.

What technical skills are required for someone to be successful and enjoy the role?

A qualified lawyer with experience across a legal discipline relevant to AI

Familiarity with existing regulatory frameworks governing AI (including, ideally, an understanding of GDPR and the AI Act).

• Experience of common issues surrounding the procurement and deployment of AI tools and solutions and ways to resolve them
• Passion for new and developing technologies, with an understanding of how existing AI technologies work
• Excellent legal research skills, and an ability to:
• Extract the key output of that research into clear, concise and actionable language suitable for the relevant audience
• Understand how different laws and jurisdictional approaches work together and the implications this will have for our business and our clients across our sectors
• An ability to work across several teams (in particular IT and legal teams), build trust with these internal stakeholders at all levels of our business and integrate their understanding
• The ability to translate complex technical concepts and law into plain English.

Who would be a good fit for this role?

The ideal candidate will be a bright, enthusiastic, and adaptable individual with a passion for technology and innovation. They will have a curiosity about how AI can enhance and change both the delivery of legal services and the sectors in which our clients operate.

They should be self-motivated and possess a strong desire to continuously learn and grow in the field of AI, while also being fun and collaborative to work with.

They should thrive on sharing their knowledge and be able to explain their thoughts clearly and concisely in a way that is appropriate to their audience.

The ideal candidate will bring a positive energy to the team and thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.